To outsource HR in your business can seem like a big step and passing control to a third party can appear a scary prospect. Yet in our everyday lives we are only too happy to outsource, whether it be cleaning, ironing, dog walking, childcare or something different, we actually outsource more than we realise.
The benefits we reap from doing this are multiple and this can be exactly the same for your business! So how can outsourcing HR truly benefit your Nursery setting?
1. Leave it to the experts
There are an ever increasing number of regulations that businesses are required to follow and have to adhere to. Not only are the number of business legislations increasing they are also ever changing.
Keeping on top of these is critical to ensure a business conforms to being legally compliant but for a non-expert it can be hard work and a minefield. This is an area which can be easily outsourced to a HR provider who will be fully up to date on all areas of legislation that can affect your business.
Taking the Early Years sector as an example, come the OFSTED visit, they will want to see that employment contracts are all completed and filed correctly, and that you have a full range of appropriate policies and procedures specifically tailored for your Nursery setting.
By outsourcing and asking a specialised HR professional to develop an effective Early Years programme for a Nursery setting allows every function to be controlled by an expert ensuring an outstanding provision for your children.
2. Your Children need you
HR is not the most glamourous of business functions but it is a very important and time consuming one. To manage your HR at an outstanding level, demands continual monitoring of current legislation, and the resource to do this.
OFSTED will expect your policies and procedures to be vigorous and will look for leaders to show that the pursuit of excellence exists at the heart of all you do and all of the settings activities.
Indeed, one common theme that I see in OFSTED reports for outstanding nursery providers is that a culture of ‘how can we do this better?’ exists, with all staff committed to a reflective approach.
Through outsourcing functions such as HR, additional time will be created in your working day allowing you to spend longer reviewing your nursery setting practices to explore areas for improvement, and indeed creating more time to spend with the children themselves.
3. Money, Money, Money
It is a common misconception that outsourcing is a costly and unaffordable option for the small and medium businesses. On the contrary, outsourcing can save you money! Through outsourcing you gain access to experts in their field, which when employed directly would actually cost more.
By choosing a HR Provider who offers an incremental pricing strategy also means you are only paying for your setting size and not being charged a flat rate no matter the size of your personal setting. Additionally, you can create time to enable an increased focus on improving your setting and in turn streamlining processes and increasing profits.
4. Less Paperwork
A regular complaint across nursery provisions is that they are drowning in paperwork, and seeking ways to help them reduce this. Outsourcing can provide access to the latest technology available and innovative HR providers will be offering this service.
HR documents such as policies and procedures can be safely stored online and electronically signed ensuring that you remain compliant with OFSTED requirements, without the paperwork. Employee contracts can be dealt with entirely electronically, saving both paperwork and time.
5. Flexibility
It is worth remembering that you have the control and can decide to outsource as much or as little of your HR responsibilities as you decide. The best HR providers will be flexible and offer different options to allow you to choose what is right for your setting.
For example, some nurseries choose to outsource the paperwork aspects of HR but retain the ‘people management’ within the nursery setting to offer a more personal and ‘inclusive team’ approach.
So in summary, outsourcing HR in your nursery setting has the potential to free you from the ‘HR shackles’ which Managers face, and offer you an increase in time to focus on your top priorities. Enabling you to provide and maintain the level of service which you aspire to achieve.
Always remember it is important to do your research when outsourcing to a new provider and ensure that you are getting exactly what you require for your setting and above all, value for your money!
Thank you for taking time to read this blog, I hope you have found the above helpful in highlighting the opportunities outsourcing can offer. We would as ever be delighted to hear from you with any feedback, questions, or indeed your experience of managing HR in a Nursery setting, whether that be through outsourcing or through managing HR directly.
Fiona Tyson
Operations Director,
The Nursery HR People Limited
01509 833 121